‘It is about damn time’: EP President says Ukraine is fighting for Europe

President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola said Europe needs to put its money where its mouth is and stand by Ukraine, as EU leaders gather in Brussels for a council summit on defence.

“It is about damn time,” she told reporters before the start of the summit. “This is something we’ve been asking for a long time – that the EU, that Europe, is capable of standing on its own two feet.”

She said the situation in Ukraine is no different to what it was three years ago. “Ukraine is fighting for Europe, and Europe needs to be hand in hand, lockstep, with whoever is fighting for our security and our values. Ukraine’s security is Europe’s security.”

EU leaders are in Brussels on Thursday for a special council summit on defence, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also invited to the summit.

In a short tweet, Prime Minister Robert Abela said Malta’s priorities during the council will be “safeguarding Malta’s neutrality, promoting peace and ensuring that our people's hard-earned money - go towards bettering lives”.

Apart from rearmament, leaders are expected to discuss how the EU can further support Ukraine after the US suspended aid to the country.

During the summit, Metsola told leaders that the European Parliament can move quickly and efficiently to meet today's unprecedented security challenges.  

“Working through the European Parliament, especially on decisions of this magnitude, is a way of fostering trust in our Union. Yes, we need swift action, but acting together is the only way of ensuring broad and deep public backing.”

Metsola stressed that any peace between Russia and Ukraine must be real, without lulling everyone into a false sense of security. "Peace must guarantee freedom for Ukraine, security for Europe and a deterrent for those who think they can take it through force," she said. 

She said the EU needs to invest more in defence, and that extraordinary times require immedia measures. "I welcome all creative and flexible solutions to substantially increase and accelerate our investments in the defence sector."

Metsola also called on leaders to align the EU budget with the bloc's priorities. "We have a real opportunity to fund the strategic autonomy we need,” she said.

Nerves are high across Europe since US President Donald Trump and Zelensky's showdown at the White House last week. Trump criticised Zelensky for not being thankful for US support and warned him to either negotiate with Russia or risk losing US backing.

A couple of days later, the US suspended military aid to Ukraine and later paused intelligence support.